Drone To Inspect South Lafourche Levees

2 years ago

South Lafourche's levees will be viewed through an unconventional eye in the coming months.

Levee District Director Windell Curole tells The Courier the district is in the early stages of working on an agreement to have its levees inspected by an unmanned drone equipped with a camera operated by a local company.

"It's better than getting up in a plane or helicopter, it's cheaper, it gets the views that we want and actually it can do things planes and helicopters can't do," Curole said.

The 48-mile levee, which protects southern Lafourche from Gulf of Mexico storms and tides, is 16 feet at its highest points and 13 feet at its lowest.

"I thought it would be a great way to keep track of what's going on at a reduced cost, look at both sides of the levee and look at how the environment on the outside of the levee is changing," Curole said.

The district's levees are surrounded by a mixture of salt marsh, fresh marsh and open water in some spots. Curole said it's necessary to regularly inspect the levee and its footprint to judge if wave action is eroding the levee's toe and to look for other problem spots.